Smart Array 6404 controller lose RAID configuration after system reboot

[Remigio Conti]

Hi at all!

I've a proliant DL380 G3 server with a Smart Array 6404 controller and a MSA30 storage enclosure.
The storage configuration from the 6404 is:

- Channel 1 (internal) to internal server disk:
2x9GB disk: Logical drive #1 (raid 1)
3x18GB disk: Logical drive #2 (raid 5)
1 DAT tape

- Channel 3 (external) to MSA30:
2x75GB disk: Logical drive #1 (raid 0)
5x75GB disk: Logical drive #2 (raid 5)
4x18GB disk: Logical drive #3 (raid 5)

The problem is that the raid configuration on channel 3 (controller 6404 EM) after creating and saving without error, is lost whenever the server reboot (also without power off) and the controller configuration utility show "No logical drive found".
This not happen on channel 1 (same controller) so i doubt this is a battery problem.
Firmware is the last and ACU and ADU does not report any problem.

I've noticed that the configuration is not lost if i create a logical drive on channel 3 with only the 4x18GB disks that are all HP disks, while the 7x75GB are IBM (Seagate rebranded) disks.

Could be the problem related to the IBM disks? It's sound a bit strange, they are standard ULTRA320 15K disks...

Any help is much appreciated!

Thanks

[gregersenj]

Could be its not happy with the 3rd party disks.

This is not a battery problem. and a Smart Array controller will lose the configuration.

The configuration is stored on all the disks, as meta data, in the RIS area. And when ever a smart Array controller, is restartet it will scan all disks for the meta data.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00687518/c00687518.pdf

BR
/jag

[Remigio Conti]

The same IBM disk were previously inside the server connected to the integrated Smart Array 5i controller without any problem!

[gregersenj]

Do I understand you correctly, that the IBM disks is 3rd party disks, not sold by HP?

I don't know if it possible to get it running.
You could try to ensure latest FW on the controller and the MSA.

Could you still use the IBM drives internally on the 5i ctrl, and then use the other disks in the MSA?

BR
/jag

[Remigio Conti]

The MSA and the 6404 controller have the latest firmware.
In my previous configuration without the MSA, all the IBM disks (Seagate) were in the internal bay of the server and configured under the integrated 5i controller, without any problem.
The only strangeness i've seen is that 2 of the IBM disk (Seagate Cheetah 73GB 15K U320 ST373453LC and ST373454LC) is reported by the 6404 as U160 and not as U320.
Now i've reconfigured the array and excluded this disks and the configuration seems stable.

However this 2 Seagate are standard U320 disk rebranded also by HP not only IBM